


Pink Hearts and Red Roses

by RedRosesandMarigolds



Category: RWBY
Genre: An Un-Valentine's Day Story, Fluff, Gen, Penny is Aro/Ace, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing, QPR Nuts and Dolts, Ruby is Also Autistic, Ruby is Aro/Ace, So is Penny but it isn't Mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29903139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRosesandMarigolds/pseuds/RedRosesandMarigolds
Summary: Heart Day is fast approaching and Ruby's teammates all have plans. But Ruby's tired of romance, and she'd love to know if her best friend shares her feelings about her least favourite day of the year.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long (mentioned), Ruby Rose & Penny Polendina, Weiss Schnee/Ilia Amitola (mentioned)
Kudos: 10





	Pink Hearts and Red Roses

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic in the RWBY fandom. I originally wrote this for Valentine's Day, which should tell you everything you need to know about my work pace. I don't own RWBY. Enjoy reading.

In the run-up to Heart Day, it seemed to Ruby like the whole world became one big pink heart.

She had been thinking about it for the last hour or so, lying on Penny’s sofa nestled against her chest, her arms around Penny’s middle and Penny’s around her shoulders. She would probably end up here on Heart Day itself, though she hadn’t actually asked her friend yet. Yang and Blake were going out somewhere or other and she knew they wanted privacy when they got back, and Weiss was going to dinner with Ilia, and would probably end up going back to the flat Ilia was occupying while she was in Vale to stay out from under Yang and Blake’s feet.

Which left Ruby as a spare part. As always. She’d always hated the whole spectacle of Heart Day. Just on her way here, she’d passed shop after shop plastered with pink and red hearts and huge, gaudy banners talking about “that special someone”, the person “you just can’t live without!” The supermarkets were full of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and saccharin cards and displays of red roses were positioned just inside the door, adorned with slogans about showing your partner you care. Normally Ruby was comforted by the sight of red roses. She knew it was silly but seeing her emblem out and about was like a little greeting. But at this time of year, it was as though they too had turned against her. And worst of all, clothing shops filled up with elaborately revealing, lacy underwear, advertised with suggestive catchphrases that made Ruby’s skin crawl. (And she’d only gone in there for a pack of socks!)

She hadn’t even been safe from the whole mess when she got to Penny’s little flat. They’d agreed to have a film night, but only three days away from Heart Day, it was wall-to-wall romantic comedies on every channel. Penny hadn’t seen any of them, even the classics, but Ruby felt as though she had seen them all: some cantankerous recluse meets an eccentric ray of sunshine and they kiss in the rain, been there, done that. They’d ended up logging into Team RWBY’s Webfilms account and streaming whatever they could find, but after two films they’d got bored and ended up lying there in silence. Ruby supposed _Diabolical Me_ and _The King’s New Jive_ hadn’t exactly been the most adult of choices, but they were two of her favourites and Penny seemed to enjoy them. Penny was looking as pensive as she felt. Ruby wondered if her friend’s thoughts ran along the same lines as hers.

They were both used to sticking out. Ruby was sure that was one of the reasons they made such good friends. She wished she’d had Penny around growing up. Then she wouldn’t have felt like such a black sheep. Already known around Signal Academy as the weird autistic kid who couldn’t stop talking about weapons, she’d felt even more isolated as the kids in her year had started developing crushes, and every Heart Day, their form room would be a buzz of people cooing over cards and little packets of chocolate, and Ruby would be surrounded by a pack of interrogators asking if she’d received any cards, and she’d have to explain yet again that no, she hadn’t, and _yes_ , she really meant it when she said she didn’t want any.

Heart Day was when all Ruby’s feelings about romance and relationships came to a head. The whole world was soaked in romance all year round, and every February, it became saturated. Songs about how no-one could live a full life without a romantic partner, films about people just like Ruby, who didn’t want to fall in love, only to be swept off their feet by some dashing suitor, each ending feeling like a little betrayal, and adults who told her, as she got older and older, that she was just a late bloomer, that she hadn’t met the right person yet, not to worry, she’d find someone sooner or later. Ruby didn’t mind being aromantic, she’d explained again and again. What she minded was being made to feel like that was wrong.

What amazed her most of all was how people managed to spot romance in everything. Not even friendships were safe. She’d heard people say that there was a very thin line between friendship with the genders you were attracted to and romance with them. Ruby was certain that wasn’t true – she’d seen fantastically little to back it up – but it still served as a grim reminder that so many people thought of romance as the only meaningful relationship in someone’s life, and that hurt. Ruby only wished that people would stop trying to convince her that her mind would be totally changed once she met “The One”.

Ironically, Ruby felt like she had met someone. She and Penny went together perfectly. She was easy to talk to, always understood her feelings, and was so much fun to be around. Ruby was certain she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Penny. She’d never feel like a spare part, as long as she had Penny there with her. The thought made her smile, and she nestled further into Penny’s chest. Penny acknowledged the gesture by resting a hand on Ruby’s head, brushing her hair out of her face. Ruby loved Penny. She hoped nothing bad would ever happen to her again, and she was willing to make sure it didn’t. She’d even thought about kissing Penny sometimes, not because she thought it would feel nice, but just to show she cared. But despite all this, she knew she wasn’t attracted to Penny. Not romantically, not sexually, not even a little bit. It was satisfying, in a way. These were her feelings. They could be whatever she wanted them to be.

“Ruby?” Penny sounded oddly tentative about breaking the silence. “You have been silent for a long time, and you look concerned. Is there a problem?”

Ruby sighed and lifted her head. “Not really. Nothing new, anyway.”

“Are you hungry? I purchased a packet of biscuits for you shortly after your last visit. I checked the date carefully, and they should still be safe to eat.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s…” She didn’t know why she was worried about asking this. Penny didn’t have a judgemental bone in her body. Ruby wasn’t sure she had any bones in her body, but that wasn’t relevant. “Does the whole Heart Day thing bother you?”

“The advertisements? Or the commodification of romantic love?” Penny let go of Ruby so that they could both sit up fully.

Ruby pushed a lock of hair out of her face, clenching the sleeve of her red hoodie in her fist. “The whole thing. I’m just tired of hearing about romantic love. Tired of people acting like it’s the only type of love that matters.”

“I understand how you feel, Ruby.” Penny shifted slightly closer to her. “I have been lead to believe that there are many kinds of love in the world, but sometimes it seems as though there is only one.”

“I know! It’s the worst.” Ruby couldn’t meet Penny’s eyes, and ended up staring at the pale green edging on the other girl’s sock.

“Ruby?” Penny gingerly reached out and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Ruby looked up to see Penny frowning slightly, and then it was Penny’s turn to look away. “May I tell you something?” She took her hand off Ruby’s shoulder and it drifted back into her lap.

“Of course. You can tell me anything.”

“I believe I am incapable of feeling romantic or sexual love. It is possible that it is because I have met few people, but I theorise that it is not a capability that my father programmed into my artificial intelligence. Heart Day is a reminder to me that for all my advanced abilities, I will never be fully human.”

Ruby felt her heart sink, and she threw her arms around Penny’s neck. “Of course you’re fully human!” Penny jumped a little, and hesitantly returned the hug. “I don’t feel that way either – it’s normal!” She pulled away, looking down at her feet again. “Even if no-one remembers it is.”

Penny’s eyes widened. “You have also never felt romantic love? It isn’t a shortcoming on my part?” Penny’s face split into a grin, and she seized Ruby by the upper arms. “Oh, Ruby, I _knew_ you would understand me!”

Ruby laughed nervously and attempted to pry Penny’s fingers out of her flesh. Penny took the hint – she was definitely getting better at that, Ruby noticed – and Ruby pulled her into another hug. They lay back down together, Ruby resting her head against Penny’s chest once more. She could hear the whirring of Penny’s operating systems, and the sound comforted her. She supposed it was her equivalent of a heartbeat.

“I’m glad you understand _me_ ,” she said. “Not a lot of people do get it.”

“People do not accept your feelings?”

“Nope.” Ruby smiled ruefully up at Penny. “You kind of guessed it yourself. People always assume that it’s part of being human – that it’s what makes you whole.” She sighed. “They don’t understand how you could ever be happy without a relationship.”

“That is awful!” Penny sounded incredibly vehement, and Ruby couldn’t help her laugh. “It is not right that you should have to justify yourself like that.”

“Well, it’s true.” There was a lock of red hair resting on Penny’s arm. Ruby picked it up and twirled it idly around her finger. “You never went to school. Other kids can be _vicious_.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Penny said earnestly. “I cannot imagine why anyone would be unkind to you. You are the nicest person I have ever met.”

Ruby started a little. “Thank you, Penny.” She shrugged, and suddenly found herself unable to meet the other girl’s eyes. “You’re really nice too.” She awkwardly patted Penny’s arm. “I’m really glad to have you in my life.”

“Ruby?” Penny wouldn’t meet her gaze either, and Ruby took it as a good sign that she wasn’t the only one who had trouble talking about stuff like this. “Although I do not feel romantic love, I have felt very strongly about you since we were at Beacon.” She gently pushed Ruby up so that they could both sit up again, cross-legged, facing each other. She met Ruby’s eyes with a piercingly sincere look in her own. “I would like it very much if this friendship were to last forever.”

Ruby felt warmth spread slowly from her heart through her whole body, reaching to the tips of her fingers and toes, and without even realising it, she broke out into a smile. “I’d like that too, Penny.” She opened her arms, clutching the sleeves of her hoodie in her fists, and Penny threw her arms around Ruby’s middle, crushing her ribs. When Ruby grunted, she relaxed her grip a little, but Ruby hung on with all her strength. She let go as a thought occurred to her.

“Do you know what a queerplatonic relationship is?”

Penny tilted her head slightly. “No. I have never heard of such a thing.”

“Well…” The difficulty of her task hit Ruby and she took a moment to pick her words. “It’s hard to explain, because every one is different. It’s like another kind of relationship. Not friendship, not romance. It’s like two people have made a commitment to be together and make each other a priority, but without romantic feelings.” She shrugged, played with the hem of her hoodie, and looked down at her feet again. “I was just wondering if you’d ever like to be in one of those. Y’know – one day.”

She forced herself to look up at Penny, and saw that her friend was looking at her very seriously. “I will give it careful thought,” she said.

Ruby smiled and, hesitating just a second, pulled Penny into another hug. “I’m just glad to have you around, Penny.”

“I am glad to have you here too.”

Ruby pulled away slightly to kiss Penny on the cheek, very briefly, without even thinking about it. The realisation hit seconds later and she backed away, her heart in her throat, but Penny smiled and very neatly kissed her on the forehead, nodding and smiling in understanding. Ruby laughed. She should have realised that Penny would use her as a guide for this kind of thing.

“I think I should like to be in a queerplatonic relationship with you,” Penny said. “But I must give it more consideration. I will find some articles to read about it.”

Ruby sighed contentedly. Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon, darkening the room. The green glow of Penny’s eyes stood out in the gloom. Ruby realised she should go home soon. Weiss, Blake, and Yang would probably be thinking about dinner. But Ruby didn’t want to leave just yet. “Do you want to watch another film?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes, of course!” Penny sat up very straight and dived for the remote. “Do you have something in mind?”

“I know _just_ the thing,” Ruby replied, and as they lay back down together, Ruby felt an enormous sense of calm and peace wash over her. It wasn’t a thin line between friendship and romance, she knew. It was a separate, sprawling island, and if Penny wanted, they could roam its plains for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. If you liked it, please leave a review, leave some kudos, and watch this space for future fic I guess.


End file.
